Ange Postecoglou knows it will not be easy for Tottenham to close the gap on last season’s Premier League top two but believes they can achieve it quickly.
Spurs finished 25 and 23 points behind champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal respectively last season despite a largely positive debut campaign for Postecoglou.
Arsenal make the short trip across north London to face Tottenham on Sunday and Postecoglou is firm in his belief they can bridge the gap to Mikel Arteta’s title challengers.
North London Derby 🔜 pic.twitter.com/qA18cihYeo
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 14, 2024
He said: “You have to acknowledge it. That’s the starting point. If you think there isn’t a massive gap, then it kind of defeats the purpose.
“That shouldn’t be daunting. It shouldn’t make you think it’s insurmountable. I certainly don’t think it is.
“I think that gap that exists between us and the top teams, we can bridge and we can bridge very quickly if we stay disciplined and focused on what we’re trying to do.
“Improve our squad, improve the way we play our football, allow our group to learn to win on a consistent basis and what that requires. And that sometimes means missteps along the way.
“I’ve always felt that anything you get in this game is hard-earned. We have to earn that. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
While Tottenham have dropped points at Leicester and Newcastle, they have produced dominant displays alongside a 4-0 win over Everton.
Postecoglou is bullish about their progress but aware how they fare against Arsenal will be a good yard stick of their development.
He added: “It’s a great measure but it’s not just about winning. You can win a game like this and walk away knowing they played us off the park in reality.
“I’ve always said to go out there against the best and perform, that’s the best measure. Then hopefully you will win the game as well.
“If we go out on Sunday, dominate this game, create more chances, really nullify them, then I think irrespective of the result, the players will walk off thinking, ‘OK, next time we’ll have another crack at it’.
“That’s where the real belief comes from. They’re a good measure for us not just in winning the game but ‘can we play our football against them?’”
Arsenal scored the most goals from set-pieces last season, but Postecoglou feels there are areas of Spurs’ game which match up to the division’s best clubs.
“I don’t really line us up against a specific opponent but I do, I think there are certain things we are already close to being the best in the competition at,” Postecoglou insisted.
“The way we press and counter press. I don’t think there’s many teams that do that better than us at the moment. The way we can play through pressure is right up there as well.
“That gives us an area to focus on at the weekend to make sure we really bring our A-game for that part of the game and then hopefully the other stuff kicks in as well.”
